“Where are YOU on this map Betty?”
Important update: Marjorie Fish, who first identified Zeta Reticuli as the location of origin of the Greys who had abducted the Hills, passed away some weeks ago. Her obituary mentions: "Later, after newer data was compiled, she determined that the binary stars within the pattern were too close together to support life; so as a true skeptic, she issued a statement that she now felt that the correlation was unlikely." Which is what this article argued in the first place.
Source: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/portclintonnewsherald/obituary.aspx?n=marjorie-eleanor-fish&pid=164148568&fhid=8672
Note from the Editor: this article was contributed by author Steve Pearse. It was originally published in 2012.
Because of the size of the article, it was split up in two parts. Part two can be found here: The Betty Hill Star Map (Part 2)
September 19th, 2011 marked the 50th anniversary of the Betty and Barney Hill case, one of the world’s best known and documented cases of alien abduction ever recorded in the history of Ufology. On a lonely road in the White mountains of New Hampshire, they became the victim to the perfect crime of a horrific abduction by the occupants of an unknown flying object late at night. The Hills’ story is a richly detailed CEIII-5 abduction case with a highly unusual epic tale of being stopped by a group of humanoids on a side gravel road and taken aboard their landed spacecraft for medical examination. It soon became the most thoroughly investigated UFO case study ever, and their story got worldwide attention.
Within a week after they arrived back home, both Betty and Barney Hill started having nightmares, flashbacks to the missing two hours of time that they could not account for. They were taken back by the scary thoughts and images that they were experiencing, and the anxiety they were feeling was absolutely overwhelming. Barney was becoming very troubled with everything, and he later confided with his personal doctor, who then referred Barney to another doctor in the same building Dr. Duncan Stevens. After treating Barney Hill for about six months, Dr. Stevens decided that the couple really needed to see a specialist in the field of psychotherapy who used hypnosis. Doctor Stevens then referred them to Dr. Benjamin Simon in Boston, Massachusetts, and their first consultation took place on a Saturday morning on December 14th, 1963.
One of the more memorable events that took place while they were on board the alien spacecraft was Betty Hill’s impromptu question to the leader being as she asks him: Where do you come from? She was very curious about their origins and wanted to know where his home port was, so she asked him where he was from; and then in response, he asked her if she knew anything about the universe. She advised him that she knew practically nothing. The leader being in the room with her then walked across the room and opened up a cabinet in the side and pulled out a map from the opening in the wall, he put it up and then he asked her if she had ever seen a map like this before? Betty then walked across the room and looked up to view the star map that she said was a three dimensional holographic image of the heavens. Betty says she leaned against the table that was in front of her. Under hypnosis Betty described the star map as being oblong. The star map that she was looking at had dots scattered all over it, some were little, some just pin-points, and two others were as big as a nickel. She went into further detail as she then said that she saw curved lines going from one dot to another. When Betty asked him to explain what the lines indicated, he told her that the broken lines were expeditions to other worlds. As she looked at the star map she wondered where he was from, and then out of curiosity she asked him where he was from, but he never volunteered the answer. Instead he turned the question around and asked her: “Where are you on this map?”
Betty chuckled and told him that she didn’t know; and then he replied, “If you don’t know where you are, there wouldn’t be any point in my telling you where I am from.” He never volunteered any specific information as to where their home world was at. John Fuller would later write the book: The Interrupted Journey documenting the Betty and Barney Hill story.
Betty and Barney Hill
In the fall of 1966 an elementary school teacher named Marjorie E. Fish from Ohio entered the picture. At the MUFON UFO Symposium in 1974 she opened up and gave some background information on how her Zeta Reticuli Interpretation started. The following is her lead off statement:
“I became interested in UFO’s after reading Jacques Vallee’s Anatomy of a Phenomenon late in 1966. Previously, Interrupted Journey had been read in the Post, but I didn’t take it seriously, as I did not know about the many worldwide humanoid encounters. Once my interest was aroused, I remembered the star map (supposedly shown to Betty Hill by a UFOnaut). Here was something that could be checked. Either it represented a real set of stars which might be found and tell us something about the UFOnaut, or it might be remembered too poorly to help, or was totally fictitious. Even if a similar set of stars were found, it might be coincidental. But, unlike most UFO reports, the possibilities could be examined and the data re-checked.”
Marjorie Fish started working on her star map project, constructing model after model in hope of making a breakthrough. In December 1968 Marjorie Fish had completed her final three-dimensional model of the nearer surroundings of our sun. This was the 26th model that now used Zeta Reticuli as their base-star start point. In 1969, the new addition of the “Catalogue of Nearby Stars” by W. Gliese was printed, and she used this catalog to finalize her theory. The Wilhelm Gliese catalog that she used was at Ohio State University (OSU) and she had to hand copy all of her data by hand from this book, since she was not allowed to check the catalog out of the library. So Marjorie Fish never had access or used a telescope in her work.
With this new data some of the star positions could be corrected. After a long period of trial and error, and the repeated construction of the star map, her model configuration finally seemed to fit the pattern of the stars that were in Betty’s map. In August, 1969 Betty Hill met with Marjorie Fish in her home in Portsmouth, N.H. for the first time, to talk to her about her Zeta Reticuli Interpretation. She met Stanton Friedman in 1971. The first publication about the “Star Map” was an article written by Stanton T. Friedman in the July 1973 issue of SAGA, and he also discussed Ms. Fish’s work in his July 1973 MUFON paper. Marjorie Fish’s MUFON paper was presented in July 1974.
In 1974 Stanton Friedman also sent a copy of the article that he had co-written to his friend astronomy writer Terence Dickinson who was now the Editor of Astronomy Magazine, Friedman suggested that he do an article about Fish’s interpretation of the Betty Hill star map, and he agreed. The article was published in December, 1974 which soon erupted into a heated firestorm over her controversial theory. Carl Sagan and Steven Soter immediately attacked Fish’s write-up by responding back to Astronomy Magazine with a scathing rebuttal. Sagan publicly stated that he couldn’t believe the Betty and Barney Hill story and said that the “The Zeta Reticuli Incident” article was very provocative. The UFO community welcomed her theory with open arms, while at the same-time; the scientific community soundly rejected Fish’s ZR Interpretation.
For years I believed that Marjorie Fish’s Zeta Reticuli Interpretation of Betty Hill’s star map could be right, and that they might really come from Zeta Reticuli as she claimed. I had never really examined her work, and I had no reason to doubt her work. I was vaguely aware of her Zeta Reticuli theory, I knew that it was very controversial; and now my opinion on her theory was about to dramatically change. Out of the blue better information suddenly presented itself, and once I had the time to thoroughly investigate the new information; and then compare it to her version of the star map, it became very obvious that her Zeta Reticuli Interpretation was wrong.
Twelve years ago (December/2000) I was surfing the Internet doing research relating to the UFO Phenomenon and accidentally found some startling new information. It was a highly unique one on one conversation about where the “Greys” come from, and I had to wonder if this very unusual anecdotal story was real and not just a made up story. My thoughts were that if it was real, it could be a major discovery that would change everything, and it might even potentially hasten disclosure one day.
If there was a word that could best describe the turn of events that have taken place, then that word would be serendipity. Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely. According to M.K. Stoskopf, “It should be recognized that serendipitous discoveries are of significant value in the advancement of science and often present the foundation for important intellectual leaps of understanding.” This amazing clue was found on the Alien Jigsaw web site (www. alienjigsaw.com) while searching for other UFO information, and is the personal experience of an experiencer, called Erik Wilson. These two cases are 32 years apart and the common denominator is that they both had the courage to ask them where they came from. The conversation was so specific that the Being ends up telling him to look at a well known feature in the constellation Ursa Major in the Northern Hemisphere, the Big Dipper. Then as the conversation continues on, the Being also mentions that there is a triangle involved. My mind flashed immediately, as I recalled that there was a triangle in Betty Hill’s star map too.
This hot new information from a relatively unknown CEIII-5 case boldly challenges Marjorie Fish’s Zeta Reticuli controversial theory about where the “Greys” come from. It all starts with knowledgeable first hand source of information (A Grey giving directions!) which soundly beats her theory by the sheer fact that it was voluntarily given to an inquisitive lifelong chosen/experiencer who also asked: Where do you come from?
On their web site this is what [I] read:
In July of 1993, my husband Erik had an amazing alien encounter while we were living in Portland, Oregon. I was very careful to write down exactly what my husband said because an alien being specifically told him where he - or they –were from. Erik remembered his experience immediately - no hypnosis was used. Erik’s conversation with a Grey is as follows: "We go on the deck. I ask him, 'Are you from the Pleiades?' The Being adamantly replies, 'No.' I ask him where he is from. We look in the sky to see the Big Dipper. He says, 'See the Ursa Major?' I reply “Yes”. The Being then tells me, 'The star cluster to the right and below. The one with the triangle to the left and the little stars in between...we're from that one. “The fourth planet from our sun." This is where things start to get interesting as the being unwittingly gave sufficient clues that could be instrumental in deciphering the secrets of the star map and finding their home star.
I logged onto John Walker’s virtual telescope ‘Your Sky’ and looked at the Big Dipper, and when I panned down, I discovered a nearly perfect isosceles triangle that perfectly matched what Betty Hill had drawn so many years ago. Months later I got a copy of Norton’s Star Atlas 19th edition to help confirm the identity of the three stars. Empirical evidence is established by observation, and I was looking right at this Hubble telescope image of the heavens. I had to ask myself, who is the better authority to tell us where they come from, and without question Erik’s conversation has to trump Marjorie Fish’s Zeta Reticuli Interpretation. It all boils down to conjecture vs. actual knowledge.
The information given to Erik unlocks the door to Betty Hill’s star map as the alien being directs Erik’s attention to the Big Dipper. Discovered quite by accident, it contains vital clues that were then used to find what we now believe to be their true origins. This newly discovered CE-5 case gave highly specific information in an unprecedented revelation in an amazing one on one conversation about where they come from. I was shocked and amazed to think that this might allow us the opportunity to figure out where they really come from.
In this astounding conversation about where they come from, the key reference made during this startling conversation is his saying that there is a triangle on the left. Two separate cases three decades apart have asked the same question: Where do you come from?, and now the information given to each of them individually clicks and opens that secret door. It’s an extraordinary match to the famous triangle in Betty Hill’s star map, thus allowing us to formally connect these two cases together. Seeing that the triangle was nearly a perfect isosceles triangle and an uncanny match to the triangle in Betty Hill’s star map, it now allowed me to later conclude that Betty Hill’s star map was actually Earth based and was in fact fairly accurate with minor corrections. This time they are essentially giving us critical new information on how to find their home world, which makes all the difference in the world. In both of these cases the conversation is about the location of their home star, the information meshes, and now these two cases are connected together like a puzzle piece showing us the way home. The most shocking aspect was the discovery of the true location of Sol within the star map.
I knew that the Betty Hill star map had a triangle on the left too. Seeing it for the very first time, I thought to myself that this had to be the same triangle in Betty Hill’s star map. If this was real, then there had to be a star directly to the right of the triangle that could theoretically host a habitable planet by current scientific theory. Within several hours that star was identified as 61 Ursa Major, then I knew that I was on the right track. This was the acid test that proved that they’re the only ones telling us the truth. It was truly amazing clue that shortly thereafter began an eight year scientific investigation and journey of discovery to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the star map drawn by Betty Hill in 1964 was fairly accurate as drawn. The combination of the star map in Betty and Barney Hill case with Erik Wilson’s CE-5 case is the origin of the name for my new theory. My interpretation of Betty Hill’s star map is called the Hill-Wilson star map, and it is the final end result of the massive research project initiated by the amazing clue that was uncovered in the year 2000.
One of the goals of this investigation was to finally build a bridge to the scientific world, in hope that I could help solve the UFO phenomenon by beating the scientific community to the punch of finding a second Earth. The ultimate goal was to find an alien planet capable of hosting a habitable planet with life, and proving once and for all that the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis is the only logical explanation that can adequately explain the UFO phenomenon beyond a reasonable doubt; and finally ending the debate about the validity of visitation to our world by advanced extraterrestrial civilizations with the advanced technology and knowledge to travel through interstellar space. The star map was broken in 2005, but the results had to remain secret, because I needed to start writing a thesis paper on my discovery. I also needed to research and study Marjorie Fish’s Zeta Reticuli theory in detail to prove that her interpretation was wrong.
I soon discovered that the selected pattern stars in the Zeta Reticuli Interpretation was badly outdated, and her claim that they were all Sun like stars was not true. I wrote an article that appeared in the MUFON Journal August 2009 to update the UFO community. The article made the front cover, and it was the lead article. According to Fish’s theory all of stars selected were within 55 light-years from the sun in the direction of Zeta Reticuli. In this first article I focused my attention on Fish’s triangle because Betty Hill was quoted saying that the triangle appeared quite prominent, and the literature indicated that the Ufonauts from Zeta Reticuli used the triangle to navigate the stars. Fish’s triangle has always been a poor substitute in comparison to what Betty Hill had drawn, but as this turned out it was minor issue. I knew that overturning a popular theory was going to be an uphill battle.
Stanton Friedman quotes:
No astronomer on Earth could have known that the triangle of background stars existed in its present geometric design - only UFOnauts coming toward our system from the Constellation Reticulum could have known those three shining stars existed in that position and would have plotted them in on their star map for visual orientation.
Friedman quote: Saga’s UFO Report Page 32, Vol. 2, No. 1, Fall 1974
“It wasn't until the updated 1969 Gliese Catalogue of Nearby Stars became available to Marjorie that the last three stars with connecting lines as well as the stars in the triangle could be pinned down and identified in the Constellation Fornax. The triangle stars are identified by the Gliese numbers of 86.1, 95, and 97. With that specific star data, Marjorie had all the proof she needed to confirm that Betty's map could only have been drawn at the time as the result of contact with extraterrestrials!”
The above statement by Friedman saying that that no astronomer on Earth could have known that the triangle of background stars existed is false. Stars have many identifying numbers, and the Gliese Catalogue of Stars uses (Gl) one of the many numbers that are used to identify a star. Gl 86.1 has 19 different identifiers’ and Gl 138 (Zet Ret 2) for example has even more at 32 identifiers. What is significant in this case is the Henry Draper number (HD). All three of Fish’s triangle stars have HD numbers, as do mine. The Henry Draper Catalogue (HD) is an astronomical star catalog that was published between 1918 and 1924, giving spectroscopic classifications for 225,300 stars. The real triangle is visible from Earth, and the vantage point to view the star map has nothing to do with Zeta Reticuli. No alien or human is ever going to be able see her triangle, because in reality it has never existed.
Since 1974 the advances in astronomy have grown by leaps and bounds, and much of what we thought we knew has turned out to be wrong, and this is certainly the case for the stars used in her theory. The passage of time hasn’t helped Marjorie Fish’s interpretation of the star map, and the end result is the fact the Fish’s star map has simply failed to keep pace with modern day science of astronomy, thus leaving major holes in her star map interpretation. Major discrepancies have come to light in regards to Fish’s triangle positions number #13 and #15 which have now been proven to be much farther away, and out of bounds of Fish’s working model “Psyche.” It was a valiant effort on her part to try to break the secrets of the star map, and I admire her for her efforts; but now we must go forward without her because today’s science is tolling a bell on her work. One of the main problems was that stars in the Southern Hemisphere were poorly observed and the observation data was faulty during this era. In the end number #13 and #15 have to be excluded.
Note: Marjorie Fish merges the two large nickel sized stars into one dot
The distance of Gl 86.1 was previously thought to be 42.359 light years in 1969, and now HIPPARCOS has determined that the correct distance is actually 183.651 light years which puts this star far outside the boundary of Fish's model "Psyche." (Fish placed it close to the forefront of the star map.) We still have visibility issues too since the star is a very faint 7.10 Vmag star. It’s not in the close position that Fish thought, nor is it a bright and shining star as she proclaimed in her dissertation so many years ago. This is simply science fact. It cannot be seen or be considered to be prominent as Betty Hill was quoted saying.
Continued here: The Betty Hill Star Map (Part 2)